Welcome to Vata Friendly
Vata Friendly (VF) seeks to empower everyone to be healthy and feel great through good digestion.
Why? Because good digestion is the key to health and happiness!
If you are reading this, it’s because you, like me, are passionate about improving your health.
I set up this site to share what I’ve been learning about the trials and tribulations of being a Vata in midlife with an extra sensitive stomach.
Thank you for coming and scroll down to learn more!
It’s time to turn the conversation from “you are what you eat” to “you are what you can digest.
Heather Merriam, Health & Wellness Coach
The scientific and spiritual underpinning of Vata Friendly is Ayurveda – a new term to most people. Here’s a little introduction to Ayurveda and “the doshas.”
“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.”
What does “Vata Friendly” mean?
For the purposes of this website, “Vata Friendly” means “Easy-to-Digest.”
Why Vata?
Vata is a term that comes from Ayurveda, a system of medicine created in India 3,000+ years ago. Vata is a Sanskrit word that means "that which moves things." Vata is the element in our bodies that enables our fluids to flow, our nerve impulses to fire, our thoughts to coalesce, and our wastes to pass. According to Ayurveda, Vata is one of three major body types—doshas—that govern our bodies.
Are You a Vata?
We are all Vatas, but some of us are more Vata than others. In order to learn whether you are mainly Vata, you need to take a quiz! There are lots of links on the web. Just search for “What is your dosha?” and many will pop up. Most sites use the dosha quiz to add to their email list (that’s not necessarily a bad thing, just sayin’). If you just want a low tech quiz, please ask me for one. I will send you a simple excel spreadsheet and I promise to lose your e-mail address.
“To follow our bliss and dive deeply into the mysteries of fragrance, color, and taste; blend with the magnificent diversity of mother nature; and follow the inner signs to become aware of who we really are – is the Alchemy of Ayurvedic Cookery.”
Who am I?
My name is Heather. I am an Ayurvedic Health Counselor and Yoga Instructor. Studying Ayurveda gave me the opportunity to turn my delicate digestion into a super power. I am grateful to be able help clients develop customized routines that help them feel better in all aspects of their lives - be it better digestion, a good night’s sleep and increased energy.
My Instagram feed:
Vata Friendly Bio
I first heard about Ayurveda in my early 20s. I was serving in Nepal as a Peace Corps Volunteer, teaching English at a remote village high school. There was an Indian teacher, Ram Nath Dubey, on the staff who often talked about Ayurveda and treated villagers for their illnesses using “Ayurvedic” medicine. Unfortunately, I was not interested in learning more about Ayurveda at that time.
After I left Nepal, I didn't think or hear about Ayurveda until, decades later, I attended a 200-hour yoga teacher training at Mount Madonna Institute. An introduction to Ayurveda was included in our training. This time, I was much more interested. In fact, it was a watershed moment! It was like matching a name to a face of a long distance friend that had long eluded me. What excited me so much was that many of my health challenges were explained by the characteristics of my predominant Dosha=> Vata. All of the sudden, I felt normal and my ailments made perfect sense.
Fast forward to 2020 - I let go of my career and enrolled in California College of Ayurveda’s Ayurvedic Health counselor program. Simultaneously, I was a patient. As of May, 2021, I a certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor. Now I can help you discover the healing powers of Ayurveda for your unique constitution.
“Our constitution is determined at the moment of conception and is with us for the rest of our lives. It determines what we are naturally attracted to and what will cause us to become out of balance, sick and diseased.”
Q&A
“Ayurveda is useful for everyone because the main objective of Ayurveda is to preserve and maintain health. Those who are healthy will benefit from Ayurveda by becoming stronger and having more energy; while those who are sick will be able to bring back their health in a natural way.”
What does “Vata” mean?
Made up of air and ether, Vata is the king of the doshas. It represents motion. Without air, we cannot exist. If our Vata is out of balance, we have indigestion, insomnia, worry and dryness throughout. If our Vata is in balance, then it is easier for the other doshas to be balanced.
So what does Vata Friendly mean?
With this site, I am endeavoring to promote a lifestyle that promotes good health. If we have calming, grounding, warming habits and eat food that we can digest, we can reduce our Vata imbalance, and feel better.
What are the Doshas?
According to Ayurveda, there are three Doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. All of us have all three doshas, and one or more of our doshas can be out of balance at any time.
How do I find a survey?
If you want a low-tech Dosha quiz, please ask me for one (“learn more” button). I will send you a simple questionnaire in an Excel spreadsheet.
Who are you?
I am a wellness coach and yoga instructor.
What can you do for me?
I can help you find a path back to your true nature - your happy healthy self.
How can I find out more about Ayurveda?
There is so much information on the Internet that it can be overwhelming. CLICK HERE for recommended sites, or schedule a free conversation with me, by selecting the “learn more” button below.
What is the relationship between Yoga and Ayurveda?
Yoga and Ayruveda are siblings. They were born at the same time. They can be practiced simultaneously. Some people have the impression that Yoga is a work out; actually, it’s a spiritual practice. Some people think that Ayurveda is a diet, but diet is only one small component. Yoga and Ayurveda are holistic and work together beautifully.
What is “Asana”?
Asana is any physical posture in Hatha yoga. It originally meant ”seat” for meditation. The ancients believed that humans were put on earth in order attain enlightenment. In order to attain enlightenment, one has to meditate for long periods, and in order to do that, one has to have the strength to sit up straight. In short, the practice of yoga or “asana” was designed to develop our ability to be still.
What can I cook that is easy to digest?
I share some every day delicious recipes. CLICK HERE
I’ve read your website… will you talk to me?
Yes! I would be happy to talk to you - let’s calendar it!
Ok, so I how do I regain my balance?
First of all, congratulations for wanting to learn more about your body! You’re reading this because you realize that you are not feeling as well as you used to and that a natural solution might hold the key to you feeling better.
While you continue to learn, through trial and error, about the best foods for you to cook and eat, here are some Tri-Dosha (meaning, good for everyone, no matter what their Dosha) suggestions to begin the process of getting yourself back in balance:
Tape the following phrase over your mirror: “I hereby commit to taking care of myself.”
Throw out all the frozen foods in your freezer, and while you’re at it, old leftovers.
Then go shopping for fresh fruit and veggies at a farmer’s market or organic-friendly store.
Walk in nature, every day.
Stop watching the news — immediately.
Take a 6 hour or more break from all your devices (dopamine fasting, it’s the new thing).
Consider practicing Yoga, Tai Chi, or Qigong.
Begin a meditation practice.
I am available for further consultation. Just drop me a line.
Ayurvedic Counseling Case Study
Name: Laura Wright
Consultation Time: January-October, 2021
Meet Laura Wright (not her real name). Laura is 58, weighs 171 lbs. and is 5 feet 2 inches tall. She lives in Texas and works full time, on her computer at home.
Health goals: Laura started practicing yoga with me online in 2020. She became interested in how Ayurveda could help her lose weight and be healthier. She had been gaining weight since she quit smoking fifteen years ago.
Lifestyle: Laura was well aware that she had a sedentary life. She works for a financial company that is based one time zone away from Texas, which makes for early mornings. She has been working at home for several years. Work is her number one priority and she is grateful to have it. She has a lot of responsibility and stress. In Laura’s case, stress came out in Pitta emotions: anger, critical, and blaming, which were directed at her colleagues. Her long days sitting at a computer were only interrupted for quick snacks or bio breaks. The first week of every month she experienced a crunch and had to work extra hours.
Health conditions: Laura takes medication for high blood pressure. She also has high cholesterol. She often has gas and bloating after eating. She goes to the acupuncturist a few times a month to help the pain in her neck, which comes from working at the computer.
Appetite: Laura gets up early on work days and is never hungry for breakfast, though she likes drinking a big cup of black tea. She doesn’t have an appetite for lunch until 1:00-2:00 PM. She cooks a good meal every day for her husband and herself in the evenings. She uses the leftovers for other meals. They eat in front of the TV.
Activity: For exercise she occasionally bikes and takes one yoga class a week. She enjoys the outdoors but as a rule, does not like exercise. On her days off she keeps busy with projects around the house.
Dosha: In order to determine the first steps to take in Laura's treatment, I did an analysis of her constitution in order to determine out her true dosha. It turned out that Laura was practically tri-doshic, with Kapha slightly higher than her Vata & Pitta.
Initial recommendations:
The strategy I developed for Laura was to start with mindful eating. Her first two recommendations were:
Take 3 breaths before dinner every day
Eat dinner without TV 3 times per week.
Though these recommendations seemed easy, they were not easy for her to remember. We worked on these and other recommendations through follow up meetings until they become habits. Only after Laura made them part of her routine did I add new recommendations.
The next recommendations were focused on introducing movement throughout the day. For example:
Set alarm on her phone once an hour to stand up and stretch for 2 minutes.
Walk every day for 15 minutes.
Laura had no problem with walking and soon was walking more that 15 minutes every day. It was just a matter of fitting it into her lunch break. However, sometimes her stretch breaks were not conveniently timed, and she would put them off.
Diet: I introduced warm lemon water in the morning early on, but didn’t recommend dietary changes for several weeks. The focus remained on recommendations that promoted mindful eating and movement during the day.
There was no change in her weight for the first month. Then the needle began to fluctuate from losing 2 pounds to gaining 1 back to losing 3 pounds.
New Habits: Through mindful eating, Laura realized that she had never ever eaten meals without distraction, such as reading a book or watching TV. The consequences were that she had no idea how much she was eating.
Progress: By the 7th follow up visit, Laura had lost 9 pounds and was eating both lunch and dinner without distractions. She did yoga twice a week and walked and bicycled more. She liked biking because it was “fun” and not “exercise.”
Laura had reduced her work week from 5 to 4 days at the beginning of the year, but it took several weeks for her to realize the benefits of a 3-day weekend. Dampening her Pitta fire and identifying aspects of her ego, helped her to let go of work anxiety and set boundaries for herself. If there were recommendations she felt she could not squeeze into her work mornings, she agreed to do them on the weekends when she had more freedom but still liked to be busy.
I continued to recommend practices around how she ate rather than what she ate. For example, encouraging breakfast and lunch at regular times.
During the summer, it was difficult for Laura to exercise in the heat. We developed other strategies and adjustments to her daily routine to accommodate the changing of the seasons.
Seven months after her first consultation, Laura’s weight was 147 pounds—24 pounds lost. She has maintained that weight for a few months. Her physician is very impressed and allowed her to reduce her blood pressure medication. Laura’s goal is to lose 12 more pounds. It won’t be easy but she is buoyed by her success and is happy to lose weight slowly and sustainably.
Laura is now working on dietary changes such as eliminating hard cheese and other high cholesterol food. To date, Laura has implemented 30 changes to her lifestyle. Her check in’s with me went from weekly to every other week to once per month. Now it’s upon her request.